first look: seven restaurant & bar
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Don't be fooled by the traditional pub-style wood exterior you've seen for months on the northeast corner of 7th and Grand, Restaurant Row's newest arrival Seven Restaurant & Bar is anything but old hat.
First-time restaurateur Joseph Tahanian whose professional career stems from the jewelry trade business is working 'round the clock to bring Downtown a dose of "sexiness" that he claims cannot be found locally today.
"I'm trying to create a Westside or Hollywood style place here, but without all the attitude. I want to bring sexy back to Downtown," Tahanian says eagerly. "My restaurant will have a tangible romantic ambiance."
To realize that vision, Tahanian has spared no expense on modish finishes and mood-setting details in his 2,800 square-foot space that should be welcoming patrons by the end of March.
Stylizing the Sensual Side
Tufted brown leather booths, dark woods accented with touches of burgundy and mirror-topped tables will dominate the venue's lounge-like interior conceived by designer Mae Brunken and concept developer Garry G, who insists Seven will seek a friendly “upscale Cheers” environment.
The space as it looks today, Garry G explains, is a weak representation of how the finished product will shape up.
A surprise twist on the muted decor will include elaborate multi-tonal lighting displays throughout the room’s recesses. Window sills, glass panels with highlighted edging and unexpected fixtures installed in strategic areas are expected to bring another dimension of style and interest to the restaurant.
The centerpiece of the lighting concept will be a stunning 7-strand hand-blown glass chandelier that will dangle above the rounded-seating area near the main entrance. A dramatic glass-enclosed wine cellar is programmed to communicate the lighting scheme to the rear of the dining space.
“It will be very cohesive,” Tahanian explains. “The lights can shine red for Valentine’s Day, green for St. Patrick’s day or anything else we want to use them for.”
More a Restaurant Than a Bar Lounge
Though the owner is working hard to establish a venue that can be enjoyed by Downtown nightlife seekers, Tahanian is quick to clarify Seven is primarily a place to dine, complimented by its separate bar and lounge components.
“We will serve new American cuisine. You can even throw “sexy” in there again too,” he says laughingly.
While the head chef has formulated an appetizing selection of all the expected dishes, decisions are still being made to finalize the menu. Plans are to offer lunch, dinner and late night hours until 2:00am daily, however, only a limited bar menu will be available after 11:00pm. Doors will open at 11:30am.
For those less interested in the food, an impressive collection of wines (ranging from $30 to $290 a bottle) and beers will be stocked for the grand opening as the owner continues to finalize the Conditional Use Permit for his establishment. (The liquor license application has already been approved.) A separate lounge room complete with a DJ booth (defined by a gold leather acoustic wall) and baby ottomans is intended to retain casual diners after their meals. Partially-enclosed sidewalk patio space for about 10 people will augment the social setting.
Recognizing Potential
As electricians, cleaning crews and handymen scramble to get all the furnishings in place to meet Seven’s debut in a couple weeks, Tahanian looks out the window and considers all the new businesses opening around him.
Aware of the newly-opened Wokcano two blocks away, Bottega Louie building out across the street and others on the way, the businessman had the foresight to see potential in a struggling cafeteria which filled the base of the Quinby Building for years.
“My office is down the street at 6th and Hill, I see what’s happening here in Downtown,” he says proudly. “7th Street is becoming the next La Cienega Boulevard, and I want to be part of that.”
Seven Restaurant & Bar
555 W 7th Street
Los Angeles, CA 90014
sevenrestaurantbar.com
-opening soon: seven restaurant & bar
LCD monitors and a contemporary back-lit art display will showcase Seven’s bar area.
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30 comments
i walk by there daily for work and i was wondering what was going on inside. thanks for letting me know. sounds swank!
The next la cienega, huh? ugggh… Why?
Place looks good though!
La Cienega = Restaurant Row
^^speaking of the proposed Restaurant row whats going on with the spaces @ 655 Hope and Fine Arts Building, the latter I heard the deal fell thru, and there was a big push to get Pig n whistle back. is there a way someone could let Pig n Whistle have a 2nd attempt to get the space back since it was one of the original locations?
That empty space at 655 Hope will function as the sales gallery for the condo project most of this year. When we toured that project a while back, we were told a restaurant would eventually be lured to fill the space.
The Fine Arts Building will not house Pig N Whistle - even though they were very close to signing a deal, the landlord got stingy at the last minute and the restaurant pulled out even though they were excited about taking it. They burned those bridges. So far, nothing is secured for that space of the Fine Arts Building, but something will come along.
I am looking forward to the grand opening! Joseph, the owner, is a great guy! Very warm & friendly!
I take his point in the best sense, but I think the last thing people Downtown want is a “Westside ” or “La Cienega” vibe. That said, the place looks really nice.
I wish him the best of luck. However, a line like “I’m trying to create a Westside or Hollywood type place here. I want to bring sexy back to Downtown,” makes me a bit nervous. We’ll see. The hours are great, similar to Pete’s. It’s a winning formula. If the food and service are good he’ll do well.
bring sexy back to downtown? but i’m already here and damn sexy, too.
^^^hahahaha, my bad Stephen I meant that building with the big windows on the NE corner of 7th /Hope that was going to have a BoConcept store. Sucks for Pig n whistle maybe they could get a chance to get in on Broadway which also had one of their original locations.
Food is going to be a key factor, hope they’re not blowing all the cash on the appearance and neglecting this part. If any restaurant has poor food, it doesn’t last very long at all.
Two thumbs up darling..s xD downtown has arrived! This looks snazzy.
so this is unrelated to 213’s Seven Grand bar? Very similar name. When is a restaurant going into the space below Seven Grand?
Yeah, unrelated businesses with similar names. I forgot to ask him about that.
of course i am glad they are coming, but why oh why does it always has to be BROWN?
sounds and looks lovely, but the logo is atrocious [someone i once knew coined the term “fontastrophe”]. it DOES look like a nice, classy joint, but IMHO the logo needs a do-over.
Downtown does it again. If there are anymore reasons for people to live Downtown, no one is going to want to stay in other parts of Los Angeles. At least there isn’t going to be a new movie theaters, trolley car, and bowling alley. Wait a minute. You’re telling me their going to have that TOO! Downtown ROCKS!
Just to let everyone know - I made some minor adjustments to this article, elaborating further on the concept behind Seven Restaurant & Bar.
I had the opportunity to meet the lead concept developer today, and he explains that Seven will be a very friendly “upscale Cheers” place, actually serving new American cuisine, not modern Italian as originally communicated.
These guys are very conscious of creating a cool place that fits within the Downtown mentality… even though it will have Hollywood style, it’s gonna be geared towards locals.
I had a chance to check out the space this Saturday. It’s beautiful. It has a grounded feel. This is no fly by seat of our pants place. It’s thoughtful and well designed. The food should be great as they have brought famed Mirko Paderno as Executive chef.
OMG! are you kidding wow finally we have a place to hang I love it! I’ve been downtown and there is no where that is women friendly and sexy. I walked in after your intro to this seven restaurant, all i have to say is wow the place looks beautiful hopefully we will have more places like this lots of luck and i will be a regular for sure
CHICLOSO!!!!!!!!
CHICLOSO!!!!!, this place looks very chicloso. a perfect place for a chicloso time.
You all should check out Cicada around the corner, talk about an unbelieve buildout……..and they have a guy that sings like Nat King Cole on Thus. and Frank Sinatra on Fridays…It’s awesome…..
I had the pleasure of joining Joseph at his “VIP” grand opening.
Sexy, swanky, sultry…Need I say more?
No liquor license YET, but good selection of beer & wine.
I went to Seven for dinner tonight. I had a broccoli souffle that was so good. The place is swank. Sexy? Hell, yes. They have a chandelier that looks like champagne bubbles. I am glad there is a new place downtown like this.
I had dinner there. Great space, very elegant yet relaxed. Joseph, the owner , sat down and talked about the “Cheers”concept for the place. The chopped salad was good, very fresh. The gnochi was flaverful and creamy. The service was very attentive….I look forward to going back. It will be a great place to grab a bite. It is 2 blocks from my loft.
had My 30th Birthday party here and from the start everything was great. With in 2 hours of my party the owner gets very unprofessional and starts to ask for money that was not asked for 3 weeks prior to me having the party there. He start turning the lights off and telling my guest that they had to leave whil they were eating there appitzers. When it came to the bar they were NOT to have any hard liqour because they didnt have there liqour lisence.( But they did). I didnt get all my food that i was suppose to get. they started taken plates from my guest while they were eating. They had my DJ stop his music. It was just the worst 30th birthday I had. When i went out side to stop the valet from taking money from my guest, there was a long line of people waiting to get in.
What made matters worst was when my guest left to get there car from the Valet, the valet gave them there keys and had them walk to get there own car.
All i can say at this point is that this place made my 30th birthday a disaster! They are to most unprofessinal place i have ever been. They dont hold there word to nothing.I wouldnt recommend anyone to have any type of party this resturant. the owner is rude and the management is untrained on how to treat customers who are spending there money. Please dont waste your time!!!!
Read this to see why Mr. Tahanian should go back into the jewelry business!
We had the worst experience last Saturday evening at Seven Restaurant & Bar which is located downtown LA on 7th & Grand.
We were at a birthday party that started at 9 pm that was scheduled to end at 2:00am. The night was young with about 50 patrons having drinks and appetizers with a long line of people in their cars waiting to get valet parking to come in for the party. We all were having such a nice time socializing with friends and family when the owner decided to shut the kitchen down. Unbelievably he turned off all the lights in the dining area at about 11:15 pm! At this point he asked everyone to leave the restaurant. Here we were in the pitch black darkness unable to see how to get from one point to the other. He was very fortunate that no one sustained an injury from this kind of negligent behavior.
The owner (Mr. Tahanian) displayed a nasty attitude showing no respect toward his customers.
Apparently he didn’t make the money he anticipated for the evening and decided to take out his angst on everyone. One thing I do know is that you always provide the best possible service to your customers. A number one way to attract clientele to your business is positive word of mouth advertising.
With that in mind I would never recommend this restaurant to anyone.
I went to Seven on a Friday (7/20/08) around 7ish and it was ok. There were several people dining, but i really didn’t see a heavy crowd around the bar area. The staff was nice and welcoming. That being said, I found out that they don’t have your typical Happy Hour…just an appetizer for each person and drinks are regular price…Huh? Well, I guess they’re not looking for new clientele. We usually stay beyond happy hour and have dinner where we go, but like I said it must not matter to these folks.
Can someone tell the owner of Seven to upgrade his box signage? You can see the the white coming through and it looks super cheesy.
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